The Duchess (Katherine Ryan) on Netflix *spoilers*

[HardStare]

Anyone else binged this?
It had some moments that made me laugh out loud but still just weird - I'm not sure how many single mums mythologise motherhood like that and the spousification of the daughter (who was precocious bordering on unlikeable) was odd.
The mother-daughter team vs the world theme isn't new nor the topic of single motherhood (the hungover games by Sophie Heawood came out last month) but here, it's a strange narrative driven by the daughter's demand for a sister which is jarring, along with the practicalities of financing two kids when you are a potter. I'm sure ceramic artists up and down the country are throwing popcorn at the screen thinking Demi Moore has a lot to answer for.
What did you all think?

Watched this last night and had high hopes...

...Sadly dashed. Unlikable main character with weird engulfed mother complex, woodenly acted best mate, annoying 'clever clever' kid with rakish hairy chested quirk who lives on a canal boat dad. Massive house from making titpots and handsome yet zero sex appeal boyfriend. All terrible. The spat with the PTA mum was just embarrassing.

I think all it did was confirm in my mind that KR thinks she's lush and no one gets it. Or it was a brilliant parody of herself, who knows.

I just watched this, I almost gave up but stuck it out for the full 6 episodes. I think KR is going for shock value with a lot of it but it's just crass and unpleasant. Katherine and Olive are horrible and the rest of the characters aren't much better.
I did like Shep and Cheryl though, they were sweet together and the wedding was brilliant. He may not be the best dad and forgot Olive's birthday but he loves her so much and he's probably a better influence than her toxic mother.

watched the first episode
not tempted to watch any more, as much as I like her.

This thread has reminded me, we watched all but the last episode a couple of weeks ago, but then completely forgot to watch the last episode, so obviously it didn't make a great impression.

I think empty and hollow describe it best. I need to like at least one character to get into a series, but everyone is just so unpleasant. There was a bit of a Gilmore Girl vibe with the codependent relationship between mum and daughter, but with none of the warmth, character depth, excellent acting, class issues, prior parenting fails etc.

Incidentally, they went swimming in an outdoor pool/pond in one ep. Does anyone know where that is? Just curiosity.

I tried to persevere, but found it unbearable. The precocious daughter fresh from stage school, the crassness in every scene, the colleague/friend who only every emits words of wisdom. I turned off after the PTA spat and the nudes.

KRs wardrobe was great, and to further this fix I ended up binging on Emily In Paris instead, which despite being full of cliches too, was very watchable.

Agree that the acting in this was not great.

CR has just used everything in her stand up shows so, having watched them before this didn't feel very original.

Also she's just really unlikeable.
Disappointing I'm afraid.

KR even!

Collidascope it was the Hampstead Heath Mixed bathing ponds. They were trying to pass it off as the Ladies’ Pond, but it was definitely the mixed pond.

The school mum spat was awful, embarrassing and stupid.

But I quite liked it in a 3/5 stars kind of way.

Thanks, Whattodo914

@Watermama

I really liked it, from the things Katherine has said in her stand up it came across as an exaggerated fictionalized account of her relationship with her own Daughter.

I did too, and worryingly I slightly over-identified with her adoration of her daughter. Her anger when Olive was shamed for being childlike at the hairdresser, and again when Euan (?) said hurtful things to Olive in the last episode. And her telling Olive that her father was amazing because that's what would be best for O to think. Obviously didnt overidentify with KR's lifestyle which was pure fantasy. And the acting wasnt great either. But I thought the actual plot was great and hasnt been done before.

I thought it was a bit shit, which was disappointing as I've seen Katherine Ryan live and she was amazing

I don't mind the character not being particularly likeable, I just didnt think it was that great. My husband liked it.
I loved Catastrophe and Motherland.

It was patchy and inconsistent but overall I liked it. Shep was genuinely a brilliant character. Hated the friend though, Beverly was it? And agree that the mythologising or single motherhood seemed unrealistic and the kid was a pain in the arse. The fashions were immense though.

@Whattodo914

Collidascope it was the Hampstead Heath Mixed bathing ponds. They were trying to pass it off as the Ladies’ Pond, but it was definitely the mixed pond.

Thank you! As a ladies’ pond occasionall visitor who has never been to the mixed one I was really wracking my brains at how it could be so similar yet so obviously not the Ladies’ Pond!